Hawk and the Blade
by Zac Attack
Summary: Set between seasons one and two of the anime, this one-off story focuses on the struggles of Meia and Hibiki against yet another attack by the Harvesters. Comedy, action and drama are all here, and please review if you can.


Stars, thousands of them, nothing but pinpricks of light watching impassively as machines and people tore one another apart. Sleek edges and shining colours met box like heads and dull shades, missiles and shots traded back and forth, erupting into existence and disappearing just as quickly. Like a whale amongst fish, the Nirvana stood at the very centre of the chaos, blue shield rising and falling as enemy fighters harried its gleaming flanks and the Dreads sought to keep them away, spinning and diving in a dozen separate exchanges. It was chaos, complete anarchy, and Meia was right in the middle of it.

Like a soaring silver green blade her craft sliced through the middle of a cube-type, cannons reducing it to nothing. Her hands talons and her pupils slits, Meia hunted her prey like the hawk she was, blasting another fighter which came in from the left. They fell, one after the other, some fighting back, most before they even knew she was there, but it never seemed to lessen their numbers, in fact there seemed to be even more of them, and all the while the rest of her team drifted further and further apart.

No one responding over the comm Meia veered upwards, cannons running hot as she sought to fight her way to someone, anyone on her own side. Twice she spotted disabled Dreads, overwhelmed by the enemy and their pilots ejected, but it proved to be far harder to find any actually operating, radar overtaxed and her guns rapidly running short of ordinance. And then with a flash of red and blue she almost collided into Jura and Dita both, the smallest of smiles reaching her lips.

"Meia, where have you been?" Jura all but wailed as her visage came up on Meia's screen, sweat running down her brow and long golden locks, clearly exasperated. "Things are really, really, bad!" Dita exclaimed as she joined in, cheeks smeared with oil, arms visibly shaking at the controls.

"Get a hold of yourselves." Meia said powerfully, pulling herself forward to tower over the screen, attempting to cut off the wild panic before it even began. "We need to get the team back together; we don't have time for a breakdown." She got nods from both women, seemingly calmer, but was interrupted from any further talk or assessments by another group of cube-types coming from below. Green hair flying back Meia just barely managed to tell Jura and Dita to organise the others, accelerating and tearing into these new foes.

But then another voice came to distract her. "Meia," it spoke up over her comm, and she was just about to cut off the distraction like all the others when she saw BC and Magno on the screen. "Captain... Commander." She acknowledged between gritted teeth, giving only a slight pause as she destroyed another enemy fighter between the words, dodging a string of return fire launched by another a second later. And when BC told her to report she didn't even take her eye off the controls.

"The enemy have driven our Dread teams apart." She admitted sourly, eyes narrowing, knowing the fault was hers. "Few of the others are responding over their comms, but I've sent Jura and Dita out to see if they can rally them." She stopped there for a moment as she lined up a shot on another one of the machines, only to hear the clicking of her empty cannons. "Ammo is also becoming a concern."

"That at least can be remedied." BC said with a nod, ignoring what could not be helped and focusing on that which she could. She made a move to open another channel, only for her to stare as it opened by itself. "Need me?" A voice drawled, the hard mouth and dark skin of Miss Gascogne appearing on both displays.

"Miss..." BC began, but was cut off. "Gasco, you were going to call me Gasco weren't you!" She accused before anything had even been said, not even waiting for the mistake. "You are ready to launch?" BC continued on smoothly, ignoring the barbs, and receiving a nod and a thumbs up cut she the connection, turning back to Meia. "I want you to be the first rearmed, Meia. If the Dread teams see you, they will gather quickly enough, whether they are answering their comms or not."

Giving a nod of her own Meia changed directions, dodging a pair of enemy fighters and angling back towards the Nirvana and Miss Gascogne's emerging supply craft. The cube-types came back more persistent than ever, and without any ammo Meia had to pull every trick she knew to get past them, dodging and weaving through their numbers. She was almost there when one of them finally managed to ram her in the side, throwing her off just enough for a second to spray her with its guns. She swore, turning to face them, and then with a pair of explosions they were gone, leaving her floating there, confused.

"Ha, looks like you owe me again!" Hibiki boasted as he swung in, sword slicing through each enemy like they were nothing, the golden form of his Vanguard quick and lethal. Face appearing up on her console he looked even more cocky than usual, ruffling his spiky blue hair as he congratulated himself. Meia gave just another small smile before she once more hardened. "Perhaps I do owe you, but you won't get a chance to collect unless we get out of here alive." A dozen more of the machines closing in.

"No problem!" Hibiki replied, emphasising with a fist. Yet despite his thrown sword quickly claiming two more fighters the rest used this as an opening to surround him, shooting at him from all sides. "Screw this lets just combine." He finally conceded, dodging several more attacks.

"Not before rallying the others." Meia insisted, but Hibiki merely laughed, and turning sharply Meia could see why. Every single Dread was heading straight for them, the combined messages of Jura and Dita along with the sight of Miss Gascogne's ship finally pulling them together. And without further hesitation Meia and Hibiki combined.

Despite doing it several times, Meia could never exactly recall how the Dread and Vanguard merged. There was always this flash of light, the sound of metal shifting, the warmth and surprise of Hibiki as he found himself between her and the controls. Perhaps there was a reason for this, perhaps not, yet she liked to think it was something too special to experience fully, a mystery. A fantastical thought in her otherwise realistic mindset.

There was no more time to think about it. Before Meia had been a hawk in mind, but now together she and Hibiki were one in truth, Vandread a vicious metal bird of prey, shredding their enemies with its speed and claws. Never in the same place, always a blur, they destroyed half of those surrounding them in a single charge, doing a complete loop to come down on the rest. Faster and faster they moved, picking off the cube-types one by one, more and more gathering around them until it appeared they must surely be swarmed, only for them to emerge untouched, foes falling apart into neatly diced cubes in their wake.

"Meia, Hibiki, we have a new signature coming up from extreme range." BC suddenly revealed, tanned and silvered visage coming up again on the screen. "It looks like something new; we want you two to take care of it." Both giving their agreement, Hibiki and Meia turned to face this new threat; visibly larger and different even at a distance.

"You know this is too easy, this can't be all there is." Hibiki said scratching himself behind the ear. "I agree, I'd say we're about to see the real attack." Meia was quick to concur as this new enemy came into view. Large and strange it resembled a sickly pale spiral rippling with spines, surface rising and falling like the hackles of a dangerous animal. It was huge, a dreadnought, as big as a hundred fighters, three hundred, and yet it moved with great speed, spinning as it tore towards its target. "The Nirvana!" Meia realized with a start.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Hibiki said with determination, gripping the controls tightly as he put themselves between the Nirvana and the enemy ship, turning to face it. It never slowed for a second, and gritting their teeth in unison Meia and Hibiki gunned the engines, now on a collision course with the enemy. Closer, closer, nearer, nearer, stars blurring around them, ship looming over them, looking as though it could swallow them without any effort at all, crush them like it was nothing. And it was then that Meia and Hibiki struck.

Everywhere people stopped, eyes drawn to the clash, awaiting the outcome. On the Nirvana, in the Dreads, all watched helplessly as the Vandread spun, battered aside. Inside sparks and blood flew as both Meia and Hibiki were thrown from their seats, the Vandread's claws raking uselessly against the dreadnought's hull as it continued its charge towards the Nirvana. The other Dreads opened up as it approached, but almost all were low on ammo, and surging forward like a gigantic spear the ship impacted. No explosions, no fancy manoeuvres, just a vessel designed for a single purpose, driving itself straight into the Nirvana's side.

Both ships shuddered, fire and sparks flying from the point of impact and disappearing into the vacuum. Pulling himself back up, Hibiki could only gaze down, Vandread floating eerily above the damage the two ships had inflicted, impaled upon one another. "Are...are you alright?" He finally managed to ask of Meia, blood running down his forehead. And turning around he saw her, face blank, head hung, staring at the Nirvana.

* * *

"As you can see, the damage is quiet extensive." BC said as she stood at attention before the Captain, long silver hair descending down her back, arms at her side. "You will have already noticed the power loss," she continued "and Parfait has just informed me that the dreadnought breached a sizeable section of level two, though no one was in the area at the time."

"I see." Magno said with a weary look on her face. "How long will it take to fix it all?" She asked, looking down searchingly into the crew of the bridge, consoles darkened, room dim, the entire ship on emergency power. Almost everything had to be done by hand now; air pumps cycled manually, doors pulled opened with handles which hadn't been used in years. They were rummaging through the store rooms for some old communicators and lights, but in the meantime the Nirvana was almost completely crippled.

"Repairs will take at least a week altogether; though we'll have power back in a couple of hours." BC summarised. "I think the more pressing problem is the enemy vessel still locked with us, it goes without saying that I think we need to get rid of it as soon as possible. Not to mention that we can't patch the holes until it is removed."

"A team can be sent over to investigate how it could be done." Magno stated in response, leaning back into her chair and brown eared cloak. "If it can be done." She added ominously.

"We'll find a way." BC said with a single swish of her hair, turning to organise the team, only for a burst of green light and a series of groans to announce the appearance of Bart, the Nirvana's helmsmen. His golden hair and military uniform characterising him almost as much as his attitude and habit of messing up.

"Well it took all my skill," he began to boast, BC and Magno rolling their eyes "but I finally managed to bring the Nirvana to a complete stop!" He brought his hands up dramatically, which was greeted with silence from the shadowed crew of the bridge. "May I add that on emergency power that is a damn miracle?" He said in exasperation as everyone ignored him, except the Captain.

"Are you quite done yet?" Magno said as she lifted herself out of her seat with her walking stick. It looked like Bart was indeed far from done, but a hard stare convinced him otherwise, the man muttering to himself as he stalked off. "Parfait will need to be on the team, and anyone else you think is necessary." Magno said without skipping a beat, turning to face BC. "Perhaps Meia or Hibiki should go, no doubt they could use something to take their minds off what has just happened."

"Both Meia and Hibiki have disappeared since they got back." BC revealed. "I ordered them to report to the bridge, but without power things haven't exactly been organised."

"I'm sure whatever they're doing, it's important." Magno said optimistically, a smile on her face as she moved to leave, and then almost as an afterthought she said aloud. "Oh and BC? Make sure the elevators are a priority. You have no idea how hard it is to climb the stairs when you are over a hundred." She let out a tired sigh at the thought of it, and then with a shake of her head left, wondering where Meia and Hibiki could possibly be.

* * *

"HOW DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT?" Hibiki yelled in frustration as Gascogne destroyed yet another one of his hands at Poker, pulling the big pile of multicoloured chips across the table towards her. Of course they weren't actually playing for money here in the darkened registry, but Hibiki thought she just liked imagining they were.

"Come on boy, smile." She said at the look on his face and under her intense gaze he did so, snarl turning into a goofy looking smirk. "That's better." She approved dealing the next game, chewing on the twig in her mouth thoughtfully as she examined her hand. "What are you even doing down here anyway? I figure losing to me would be the last thing you'd want after the beating you and the rest took out there." She commented, pushing forward a handful of chips.

"She...she's been chasing me ever since I got back." Hibiki said quietly, looking behind himself guilty as he rubbed the bandage wrapped around his forehead. Gascogne knew instantly who he meant, that fiery little redhead, Dita. "She thinks I need to be nursed back to health or something." Hibiki continued. "So I thought I'd hide out here for a while." Eyeing his opponent's bet he matched it, but only after several long moments of deliberation.

"Sounds like she's just worried about you." Gascogne said with a shrug, doubling the amount of chips in the centre. "I don't blame her either, taking on a ship that size I'm surprised you and Meia are still in one piece."

"I didn't ask her to be worried about me." Hibiki snapped, again matching his opponent, cards so close to his nose he might as well have been using them as a handkerchief. "All we did was get knocked around a little, I don't see why anyone should care."

Gascogne smiled knowingly, but didn't say anything, game continuing in relative peace. Somehow the boy managed to lose five rounds in just as many minutes, only managing to scrounge out a meagre victory which even he didn't seem to understand how he had won. And then the inevitable happened, a sound ringing out which made every bit of hair on Hibiki stand on end. "Mr Alien! Are you in there?" A sweet and innocent voice called through the door, followed by rapid and enthusiastic knocking.

"Hide me!" Hibiki said with utter seriousness, Gascogne lazily pointing to a storage closet to the left, him diving in head first. Moments later Dita came in, an extreme oversupply of medical supplies balanced precariously in her arms. "Miss Gascogne, have you seen Mr Alien?" She asked, gesturing in a way which almost made her drop everything.

"Well let me just see, girl." Gascogne replied smugly, Dita standing there, quite confused. Picking up and looking at the cards Hibiki had left behind, she gave a slight frown, and then closing her eyes tossed them away. "He's in there." She said, repeating her earlier gesture to the storage closet, a babble of thanks from Dita and a wail of misery from Hibiki rising up as the former opened the door and grabbed the latter by the arm.

Watching as the girl dragged the boy out the door, Gascogne stood up from her seat, stretching her limbs like a cat. Still chewing on the twig in her mouth she reshuffled the cards, letting Hibiki's three aces slide in along with her own crummy hand. Good thing Dita had come along; otherwise she might have actually lost that one.

* * *

Down the dark corridors of the Nirvana, Meia walked with her arms at her sides. Self applied bandages covered her left shoulder, and her suit now featured several rips down its back, but none of that bothered her. Aside from all that she appeared fine, at least on the outside, cool and calm as always, but inside she felt differently, a weight hanging around her neck. The others might shrug off how close that dreadnought had come to completely gutting the Nirvana, but she couldn't. It was her failures at both commanding the Dread teams and piloting the Vandread that had led to all this, only the greatest luck and a poor angle the reason anyone was still alive at all. Was this fear she felt for that almost happening? Or anger at allowing it to come so close? Meia experienced both so rarely it was hard to tell.

Continuing onwards, she ran into several others on the long curculios path around the breached section. Bart, who was muttering something about a lack of respect, Parfait trying to coerce Duelo into accompanying her somewhere, and many more she did not recognise in the dark. Some wanted to talk, but Meia kept these exchanges as short as possible, not wanting to deviate from her goal. All this damage and destruction was a result of her mistakes, and it was her responsibility to set them right.

Finally after several long moments of searching Meia finally found what she was looking for. Kneeling next to one of the panels in the floor was one of many crewmembers now set to the task of fixing the ship, a white metal panel pulled aside and a mess of wires resting in her lap. The engines and breached section were being handled by Parfait and the engineers, but the rest was grunt work, and a large number of the crew had been pressed into service to get everything fixed on time. Meia didn't even know the name of the young brunette before her, uniform suggesting her being from the registry.

"Oh, Meia!" The girl exclaimed, noticing the shadow over the small portable rod she was using as a light source. Meia kneeled down beside her, and with a sigh tried to put on a smile. "Do…do you need any help?" She finally managed to ask, the words awkward on her tongue. When you were in command you often gave aid whether someone on your team asked for it or not, yet outside of the Dreads and a combat situation she could not in good conscience order this girl around, and so she asked.

"Oh no, I'm fine." The young woman assured, blushing and sweeping aside a strand of brown hair which was hanging over her face. "It's really more of a one person kind of job anyway." She added a little nervously, clearly intimidated despite Meia's attempts at being nice. Meia did not complain though, but instead said her goodbyes and moved on. She was responsible for all this, and she'd fix it, all she had to do was find someone else, there would be plenty of others.

Yet her offers to help fell on deaf ears. "Oh, I'm sure you have more important things to do." One girl said, up to her elbows in oil. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I have it covered." Another crewmember said, inspecting a connection between two cables. Time after time the others turned her down, even on those few attempts where she dared press them. Some were simply concerned about her worsening her injuries, others simply could not think of any meaningful way she could contribute, yet more were unable to comprehend someone as high ranking as her getting her hands dirty. They thought they were doing her a favour, after all what person in their right mind would actually enjoy these tedious and eye straining tasks? Yet Meia would have liked nothing better than to hold up someone's toolbox.

Finally, after she was sure that she had asked practically everyone Meia leaned up against a wall, frustrated and tired. Noting with a glare that the rips in her bodysuit had widened, she wracked her brain, unwilling to give up, and then it hit her. She immediately set out for the stairs, and after several moments of walking around lost she found them, slipping past a grumbling Magno. After several more floors and a few corridors she reached what she had been looking for, the medical bay.

Meia smiled, and then felt bad that she had, remembering that people being injured was not something to be happy about. Her responsibility, that's all this was. Moving to open the door, she stared in surprise as it slid open by itself, the room inside brightly lit, displays alive and equipment functioning. She quickly realised that of all the rooms which would need emergency power the medical bay made the most sense, especially after a battle.

Slowly Meia stepped into the room, a chattering crowd surrounding her, waves of noise washing over her. There were only a little over a dozen patients, but the room was so small it felt like at least triple that. Injuries seemed to vary, some having little more than scratches, while one girl looked like she was unconscious, chest rising and falling as she rested on the bed laid out for her. Edging her way through the crowd, Meia almost ran straight into Paiway, Duelo nowhere to be seen. The young nurse turned to see what all the noise was about, her small face lighting up as she saw who it was, practically jumping forward to talk to her. "Hey there, Meia!" She said excitedly, and then making her voice very gruff. "What are you doing here, ribbet?" Miming the words with her frog puppet.

"I'm looking for the doctor, where is he?" Meia replied, looking over the short girl, sure she had just missed Duelo amongst all the others. But he was nowhere to be seen, and while there was certainly nothing wrong with Paiway, she would have preferred Duelo's more steady hand in contrast to her excitable nature. "I came to offer my help; I figured the medical bay would have its hands full right now." She finally added, that was the partial truth anyway.

"Sorry Meia, but I was given specific instructions in case you showed up." Paiway said with her head up high, seemingly relishing her authority. "I was told to make sure you didn't do anything too tough while Duelo was gone, and for you to get plenty of rest." And once more putting on a voice she pulled up the frog puppet. "He was very worried, ribbet."

Meia stared at the young pigtailed nurse; she had certainly not expected this, her gaze going to the people around her. But Paiway must have realised what she was thinking. "They'll be okay; I've been taking good care of them!" She said spinning around in a circle, and by the time she was facing forward again Meia was gone, out of the medical bay and back amongst the shadowed hallways of the ship. She moved as coolly and calmly as before, a single slamming of her fist against the wall the only sign of her frustration.

* * *

Visors covering their faces and sealed suits wrapped around their bodies four figures moved through the compromised section of the Nirvana. They practically bounced with each step, gravity still extremely low in this area, and taking a left they finally stopped, the foremost of them pointing at the hole in the floor which was to be their entrance. With a grim smile Barnette was the first to go in, fist at the ready as she lowered herself down into the steamy mist. Duelo followed, falling lightly, gripping the floor as he took in his surroundings, Barnette already standing, bulky form shifting left and right as she scanned the crashed enemy ship for targets.

"I'm coming Barnette!" Jura yelled as a distorted battle cry as she came down, nearly decapitating Duelo with a panicked swing of her sabre. Luckily he ducked just in time, and the woman quickly found it stuck in the wall, only freed as Parfait landed on top of her. Even with lighter gravity Jura toppled, Parfait babbling a rapid series of apologies as she helped her friend to her feet, who accepted them only after what Duelo could only assume was a hard look.

"Will you three stop messing around back there? This place could be swarming with the enemy." Barnette called over her shoulder, gaze seeming to linger on Duelo just a moment longer than the rest. Fist still high, the ring there glowing with deadly energy she finally gave the all clear, the rest of them moving away from the crack they had used to access the ship. The hallways of the Nirvana were just barely visible beyond it, a sharp contrast to where they were now, the tip of the dreadnought.

"No one take off your suit." Parfait cautioned unnecessarily, stars visible through the many tears in the hull. While the vessel resembled a white spiral from the outside, the inside seemed to consist almost entirely of blocky black machinery and jagged orange wires, all coexisting in one gigantic space, no walls or separation. Here and there stood the wreckage of drones, mechanical tentacles and eyes destroyed in the impact, none even close to intact. Walking up to one Duelo began to examine it; it was almost twice again his size.

"Do you two really have to go feeling around? Can't we just sink this thing and get out of here?" Jura moaned, tapping her foot apprehensively, which unfortunately didn't work too well in a place where a person weighed less than the items of clothing they put on every day. "Oh come on, the Commander told us to be on the lookout for anything useful." Parfait said with genuine excitement, jumping from one piece of machinery to another, thrilled at the opportunity to investigate Harvester technology. Duelo, who was cramped into a suit two sizes too small for him was in a somewhat more dejected mood, but even he was finding things of interest. "We could learn a lot from just a few moments." He finally added, putting an end to the argument.

Several minutes of silence followed, only the sounds of work audible, occasionally mixed in with a sigh from Jura as she waited or a murmur from Parfait as she sliced into one console or another. Much of the ship was still shrouded in darkness, so they all stuck close together; Barnette and Jura in particular, who weren't doing a very good job of escorting the other two. Suddenly Parfait seemed to make a breakthrough, and after a few moments of tightening something the vessel sprung to life, a shudder passing through the dreadnought as power flowed.

"I'm not liking the look or sound of this, Parfait!" Barnette yelled in alarm, swivelling round, and when one of the drones began to pick itself up she immediately blasted it a dozen times over. It collapsed, flames snuffed out before they began, luckily it had been the exception rather than the norm, all of the other drones stayed where they were, too damaged to move. All four of them transfixed on the wrecked machine it took several seconds before they realised that the rest of the ship had become several shades brighter, orange light pooling along the fleshy walls and roof.

Everyone looked around, some in fascination, others with uneasiness. Stepping past Jura, who was again almost tripping over her own sabre, Duelo approached a spot which had only just become visible. An organic construct in the shape of some kind of sphere, it filled most of the upper area, held in place by wires and a huge metallic pillar, which was what Duelo now stood before. Stoic and silent as ever he ran his hand over the surface, intrigued by this complex combination of machinery and the biological. "This looks important." He observed, noting the centralist like structure and connections. Parfait was behind him in an instant, peeking over the bulky shoulder of his suit. "Let me take a look." She insisted, Duelo doubting he could have stopped her even if he had wanted too.

Again silence fell in, Parfait rattling away inside base of the sphere, Jura and Barnette occasionally heard arguing in the background. Duelo merely stood back, letting someone who actually knew what they were doing handle things. Bringing out a little computer she had brought along Parfait connected it up, data scrolling across it within moments. Green and full of life the symbols zoomed back and forth, until suddenly they changed to yellow, growing sluggish, before finally evolving into red, stopping completely. That couldn't be good.

"Not good." She said in an almost perfect imitation of his thoughts, which would have almost been comical if her tone hadn't been so serious. "I need to show this to the Captain." She continued, quickly repacking the computer, already hopping towards the exit. "What, but we haven't done anything yet!" Jura moaned, clearly annoyed that she had come all this for nothing, but Barnette was leaving, and after several moments of pouting she fell into line behind the others. Getting out of the crack in the ship proved much more difficult than entering, but after some shifting of nearby wreckage they were able to manage it.

Finally they were up and free, removing their suits as they re-entered the functioning parts of the Nirvana. Despite many questions Parfait refused to say a word about what she had discovered, continually reminding them that they had to hurry. Yet despite the grave tone in her voice, Duelo couldn't help but notice the slight skip in her step, Parfait clearly excited despite the circumstances. Of course that was normal for her, she loved being right in the middle of things, practically the opposite of him. Maybe that was why she and him got on so well, like Dita and Hibiki.

* * *

"Leave me alone, leave me alone!" Hibiki protested fiercely as he ran, Dita right behind him. With a crash one of the boxes she had been juggling fell, spilling its contents all over the shadowed floor, Hibiki seeing an almost scary amount of needles and bandages as it disappeared from sight. No such luck with the other boxes though, they remained firmly in Dita's vice like grip, much like how she managed to keep him firmly locked in her line of sight no matter how much he tried to get away.

Panting and sweating Hibiki darted around a corner; his would be healer still keeping pace, seemingly not tired at all. A pair of crewmembers giving him odd looks as he passed he turned left, then right, then left again, unable to see Dita but knowing she was still out there. Why the heck was this crazy girl even doing this? Sometimes she almost seemed okay; even normal, and then she'd go ahead and do something like this, why couldn't she just leave him alone? And it was there that Hibiki stopped, hands on his knees, exhausted, trying to catch his breath.

Unfortunately Dita had no problem finding him despite the darkness, his attempt at hiding failing miserably as a glow stick sprang to life behind him. "Found you, Mr Alien." She said quite unnecessarily as she tapped him on the shoulder, Hibiki nearly jumping out of his skin. He went to make another run for it, only to fall flat on his backside, having just run face first into the wall. "I don't see why you're so scared, Mr Alien. You want to get better don't you?" She pondered innocently, the same two crew members from before giggling as they passed by, Hibiki glaring at them sourly before Dita led him away, too tired to resist.

"Where are we going anyway?" Hibiki finally asked after a minute of wondering and rejuvenation. He would have guessed the medical bay considering Dita apparently meant to 'heal' him, but she was heading in the totally wrong direction for that. Unfortunately the girl's reply of, "oh you'll see Mr Alien, you'll love it!" Did nothing to alleviate his fears, Hibiki glancing left and right, looking for another chance to escape from whatever treatment he was about to be given.

Finally Dita seemed to reach their intended destination, the hanger for the Vanguards. He wondered at the choice, right up until he saw the big array of food set out on the floor, bowls of rice, roasted fish and several more things he didn't even know the name of. The aroma's mixed together as they played across his nose and mouth, him licking his lips at the thought. Trying very hard not to sound too eager he crossed his arms. "Is this some kind of trick?" He asked suspiciously, turning his nose up at the feast waiting on the floor before him, but Dita shook her head. "You've got to keep your strength up." She said tugging on his arm, and after several moments he finally relented.

Sitting down Hibiki wasted no time digging in; mouth stuffed with fish and rice in no time. Meanwhile Dita was rummaging through the boxes of medical supplies, excluding the one she had dropped earlier of course. Moving to sit beside him she began unravelling the bandages around his head, which like Meia he had applied himself. "What do you know about any of this anyway?" Hibiki asked as he moved onto a bowl of soup, but Dita ignored him, deftly and quickly cleaning and re-bandaging his wounds. He stopped more than once to watch her, but she was both careful and gentle, though he had to shoo her away from his pants more than once. "That...that actually feels better." He said in amazement as she sat back, cuts no longer stinging with every twist of his neck.

"I noticed you get hurt a lot when we fight." Dita said, suddenly quite solemn, putting away the used bandages. "I hated seeing that, so I got Mr Doctor to teach me some things." Hibiki realising that she must be talking about Duelo. Blushing slightly he went back to the food, eating more slowly now that half of it was inside of him. He didn't notice Dita rolling up his sleeve or examining a small syringe until it was too late

With an intake of breath and hiss from the syringe Dita again sat back, Hibiki stopping mid-swallow. Nearly choking he thumped on his chest, dropping the plate, turning to stare at her, three more needles already in her hand, each one following the other. And as quickly as it began it was over, Hibiki staring at the spot on his shoulder where she had injected him, glaring at her sourly. "What did you do that for?" He shouted, feeling betrayed and stupid, mostly stupid. Dita halted further argument with a hastily drawn lollipop, him nearly choking again as she stuck it in his mouth. Hibiki finally regaining control of himself he looked down at the lollipop with a bemused expression on his face, causing Dita to burst out laughing. "You look just like Miss Gascogcne!" She said with tears in her eyes.

Finally having had enough Hibiki stood up, walking towards the hanger exit, green lollipop still in his mouth. "I don't need to be insulted like this." He managed to say around the stick, and had just reached the exit when power was restored, lights coming to life room by room, blinding everyone, including Dita and Hibiki. Startled by the sudden change the latter stumbled, eyes failing to adjust, and reaching out he fell right into the elevator, doors having just sprung open. Falling on top of the command console he just barely managed to figure out what happening before the shining white doors closed behind him, elevator descending with a whoosh.

Clutching his head Hibiki could only stare as he went down floor after floor, lift unwilling to change direction no matter how many times he hammered the button. Finally the thing stopped, moving parts going silent, doors spreading wide to reveal the vast empty space before him. Hibiki was in storage, repurposed as the hanger for the three changed Dreads, no longer compatible with the launching and arming mechanisms for the others. Stepping out of the elevator he took a look around, no one to be seen or heard, maybe Dita wouldn't bother him here? Of course his assessment changed just as he completed that thought, the sound of footsteps on one of the Dreads catching his attention.

Standing on the wing of her pointed silver craft was Meia, looking down at the Dread with longing. It was battered, scorch marks visible at several spots, scratches etched into the glass canopy, no one having had a chance to repair it since the last battle. About to step into the cockpit, it was here that Meia finally realised she had an observer, Hibiki's movements echoing loudly throughout the hanger. Eyes locking she stared at him, neither of them saying a word, each not clear on what the other was doing. High up and far away it was hard to tell, but Hibiki thought he saw just the slightest hint of a smile as Meia turned away, the moment passed, jumping down into the cockpit of her Dread.

In seconds the craft was gone, blasting out into space, taking Meia with it, leaving Hibiki to do nothing but scratch his head in confusion.

* * *

Smoothly rising from its resting place, the Dread launched, Hibiki and everything else disappearing behind Meia as she left the Nirvana. She didn't ease up or even look back until she was sure she was well clear of everything, leaning back into her seat with a sigh. Suddenly her gaze went to her hands, the rips in her black and white bodysuit having worsened; now stretching all along her arms and her front. She hated how it clung to her now, stray fibres straining and brushing across her skin, and on a whim she tore at it, fingernails slashing every shred of fabric from her body. Naked but uncaring Meia again leaned back into her chair, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When she had been unable to fulfil her responsibility through fixing the ship or helping at the medical bay, scouting with her Dread had been the only other thing she could think of. In a way she preferred this, she had always enjoyed flying, the control, the strength, the distance from emotion.

Hands rising again to the controls Meia brought her craft around, planning on doing a complete sweep of the squares rearward to the Nirvana. There wasn't much to check, only a few moons lazily orbiting an even bigger moon, that and some pieces of scrap metal which probably predated the colonisation era. As Meia flew through space, her mind went back to Hibiki, unsure as he watched her leave. Did he realise what had almost happened when they had failed to stop that dreadnought? Or did he know and didn't care? Somehow she thought it was the latter rather than the former, and wished just for a moment she could have that kind of confidence, that kind of inner peace.

Suddenly Meia was jarred from her thoughts, a single repeating tone coming from the console before her. Peering into her radar she saw what the cause was, eight, nine, no eleven signatures, small but approaching fast, zeroing in on her position. For an instant she thought it might be the other Dreads, either to find out what she was doing or bring her back, but no, that was no formation she had ever taught them, was it the enemy? She quickly began to wonder how they could have possibly returned so quickly, much less find out where they were, but flicking back her blue-green hair she let the thought go. Turning to meet them she couldn't help but let a savage grin come to her face, time for a little payback for what had happened before.

And it was then of course that Meia realised she had no ammo, guns and missiles still drained from the last battle.

Cursing Meia broke off, flying as fast as she could in the direction of the Nirvana, intent on warning the others. But it was no good, the enemy fighters, now clearly visible moved to block her path, standing right between her and her intended destination. Refusing to give up she tried to reach the Nirvana over the comms, but again she was thwarted, getting nothing but static. Was her Dread further damaged than she had thought, or had the dozens of miles she had flown put her out of range? Feeling defeated Meia brought her fist down in frustration. She had been a fool to come out here, she hadn't been thinking straight at all! Calming herself she watched as the eleven cube-types continued their approach. She may have no ammo, but that didn't mean she had no weapons, she'd just have to be...creative. But whatever happened she had to break through and warn the others, otherwise they would all be in for it.

* * *

On the bridge, in their seat and standing respectively, both Magno and BC stared, Parfait and Duelo waiting before them, having explained what had been discovered. Around them the bridge was almost back to normal, power largely being restored, lights once again providing illumination over the forest below, the operators busy chatting and working at their stations. All this happened while Magno and BC processed what had been told to them, conveniently summed up by Parfait as she finished.

"And now the dreadnought attached to us is broadcasting our position to another fleet, much bigger than the one we just barely managed to survive before." Parfait finished in a rush, more than a little out of breath. Bringing up her little computer, she proved the point with a few taps of a button, holding it up as its screen showed a thin blue outline of the Nirvana, overlapping with a red outline which had to be the dreadnought they had collided with. Tapping a few more buttons the display panned out, revealing a vast array of red dots, all of them homing on the blue outline. BC and Magno shared a glance, and stepping forward the Commander almost immediately went into action, shouting orders, calling for scans of the radar and yelling for all signal frequencies to be checked.

"And here I thought things would be quiet for a while." Magno said with a slow shake of her head, eyes hidden under her brown cloak. BC returned a moment later, just in time to hear that last remark. "It makes sense for them to try again from their point of view; we're weaker now than we ever have been before." She said evenly before turning to face Magno. "We've spotted the enemy, moving in at extreme range, nothing yet on the signal being transmitted to them." It was then that a gentle cough cut through the chatter of the other operators, calling everyone's attention to Ezra, sitting in her seat, hand raised as though in a classroom.

"Umm…Commander?" She said tentatively, and seeing she had their attention turned back to her station, bringing up several things on the main display for all to see. "I just found this... I didn't see it at first because it was somehow disguised as our own codes...but I..." Her findings belayed her hesitation however; the screen above them displaying what was clearly the same signal Parfait had found, as she was quick to assure.

"Ezra, can you block it?" Magno asked, the operator flinching but quickly getting to work, hands dancing across the instruments in front of her. "Maybe if I…no…how do I?" She murmured to herself as she worked, a hand occasionally going to stroke her pregnant middle soothingly. Her efforts lasted several minutes, and then just like that it was over. Display going blank she turned; smiling, signal gone, everyone letting out a sigh of relief. And then the Nirvana began to shake.

It started slowly at first, gradually building, before suddenly tripling in intensity, everyone not seated going to the floor in a heap. Alarms sounded everywhere as the ship trembled, and like an eclipse of the sun the bridge began to darken, the light of a thousand stars disappearing as the remains of the dreadnought blotted them out, artificial illumination suddenly seeming not nearly enough. Detached from the Nirvana's side, the quills on the ghostly white spiral jerked spasmodically, violent red light flaring from its wounds. And then in complete silence the vessel exploded, everyone who had regained their feet sent to the floor a second time.

The Nirvana shook harder than ever, newly activated shields glowing blue as wreckage and force bounced off them, it taking almost an entire minute before things settled down completely. Clutching her head BC again began shouting orders, scanning the roof for fractures. Helping Parfait to her feet Duelo quickly checked her for injuries before moving off to do the same to the others, starting with the now whimpering Ezra.

"Seems our little hitchhiker didn't take kindly to being interrupted." Magno said, eyes narrow, staring at the dejected remains above. It was at this time Hibiki came running onto the bridge, staring up at the chaos and destruction above and around him. Suddenly he turned to the Captain. "Hey old lady! What's going on?"

"We're about to come under attack, that is 'what's going on' little boy." Magno replied smooth and quick, last few words as sarcastic as they were grave. Taken back Hibiki again looked up, Magno continuing. "We'll need you and the Dreads out there right away, I suggest you get going." Remembering what he had just witnessed back in storage Hibiki again turned to Magno. "Is that where Meia went? To fight this?"

It took several moments for the Captain to process the question, frowning slightly as she realised what Hibiki was implying. BC overheard, and instantly rounded on Hibiki. "I wasn't aware that Meia had left the ship. If she went out it was of her own violation." BC stated, towering over the boy as if it was his fault. "You mean none of you know where she went? You just let her leave?" He said defensively glaring at all of them, and then without warning began running for the exit.

"Where are you going?" BC shouted, but Hibiki didn't even bother to slow down as he yelled back an answer. "Where do you think?" Everyone staring he sprinted off the bridge, quickly disappearing from sight. "He's going to find Meia." BC finally said in realisation, turning back to the operators with a hard look on her face. "Disable the launching mechanisms for his Vanguard."

"Are you sure about that, BC?" Magno said gently, looking down at the Commander. "Meia may well need help, especially with the enemy around in such numbers." But BC was quick to dismiss the argument. "We can't risk everyone else just to save one life; Meia can take care of herself." However she did not repeat her earlier order, staying where she was, Magno nodding in approval. "A wise choice." She commended as she leaned back in her chair, BC quickly moving to organise the rest of the Dreads.

* * *

Jumping into the Vanguard Hibiki buckled up, straps flying across his chest as he brought his partner to life. He had expected some kind of resistance from BC or the others, but nothing, not even a sharp reprimand. Shrugging it off he gripped the controls, and with a lurch the golden form of his Vanguard disappeared, machinery of the Nirvana swallowing it up, positioning it for the launch. Gears grinding, pistons pushing, steam spitting, all those noises accompanied him in the shifting darkness, and then suddenly there was light, stars. Space, large, big, never ending, and somewhere out there in it was Meia.

With a slight twist of the controls Hibiki disengaged from the Nirvana, and turning the Vanguard around watched as it continued forward, Dread teams already assembling. On the inside it was easy to forget, but out here it quickly became apparent just how bad things were for them right now. The left side of the Nirvana was a wreck where the dreadnought had impacted, and the engines moved with none of their usual grace and power. Several Dreads were missing from the rainbow of craft which accompanied the ship, and even the ones which were present weren't in the best shape. And stretched out before them, barely visible in the distance, was the enemy, stretching across the sky, and at the very core, two more pale white spirals, dreadnoughts, identical to the first.

Hibiki almost went to join the Dreads then and there, to meet the enemy head on, but gritting his teeth he turned his back on them. They would be fine, at least for a little while, and meanwhile Meia was out there on her own, doing who knows what. And while she might need his help, it was just as likely they would need hers, no one had ever been able to manage the Dread teams like Meia could, and her determination and skill were like nothing else. Vanguard tensing as he activated the boosters, Hibiki was just about to leave when his display suddenly erupted, screen filling with faces.

"Bring Meia back, Mr Alien!" Dita called out, arms in the air. "Be back soon you hear? We don't have all day." Jura added with a wink, and even Barnette wished him well in her own way. "Don't screw up." She said flatly, cutting the connection as soon as the words had left her mouth, apparently still not quite over her distaste for men. Another dozen women adding to the barrage of words and hopes Hibiki was actually blushing by the end of it, things finally quieting down as he went beyond the range of their comms. The world shrunk down to just him and his Vanguard, heading in the last direction Meia had been seen.

As Hibiki traversed the miles of black space he thought about all those people cheering him on. Women, a few months ago he had seen them as his enemies, and Meia chief amongst them. Yet despite some of them being crazy they weren't a bad group overall, even Dita had her moments, the bandage on his forehead a clear reminder of that. Even still, why was he going out of his way for Meia when there was a battle to be fought? Following that line of thought he traced it back, back through the battle against the enemy flagship, back through their time on that desert planet, back to when they had first combined. Those battles, those experiences, the determination and strength Meia had possessed within them. And in that moment Hibiki realised with equal parts embarrassment and surprise that he actually respected Meia, even if she really got on his nerves sometimes.

A tone beeping on his console, Hibiki was startled from his thoughts, a signal finally coming up on his radar, or rather a dozen signals close together. That made him raise an eyebrow, Hibiki wondering if this was even Meia at all, but getting nothing on his comms he saw no other response other than to go and check it out. Pulling his Vanguard's sword free and again activating his boosters Hibiki closed in on the signatures, dancing around on his radar like a cloud of fireflies. Slowly coming into view, he could only grit his teeth as he watched a lone Dread fight, dodge and weave amongst a squadron of cube-types, boxy heads and thin tentacles belaying incredible agility. It was Meia alright, and she must have either suffered damage or have run out of ammo, because despite plenty of opportunities she wasn't firing back, it looked like he had arrived just in time.

Spinning out of the way of another attack he watched as Meia streaked straight up, two enemy fighters colliding in the confusion. Unfortunately as she went up her cockpit was pointed right at him, and as the craft hesitated in its movements for just the slightest of seconds, Hibiki knew Meia had spotted him. Taking advantage of the distraction a cube-type rose from behind, latching onto the Dread's cockpit, mechanical eyes gleaming as its claws came down. Without thinking Hibiki acted, sword gone from his Vanguard's arm before he could blink, slicing through space, missing the Dread by inches and cleaving off the attacker's head. Only able to imagine the surprise on Meia's face Hibiki was quick to follow up with his second sword, slicing another enemy fighter clean in half as it turned to see what was happening.

The focus of the cube-types on him now Hibiki rapidly went to task on dismantling the rest of the squadron. He kicked, he punched, and he swung, fighters dying with every blow, servos and gears of his Vanguard being put to work. Suddenly turning around Hibiki just barely glimpsed another foe, too slow to deflect it, only for Meia to charge forward, Dread reducing the fighter to scrap as she rammed it. Dislodging the opponent with a spin Hibiki noted that it had been the last one, the rest of the enemy destroyed, him sheathing his blade with a flourish. Hibiki and Meia were now the only ones left, just the Vanguard, Dread and the vague outline of the moons in the distance.

Turning his partner around Hibiki opened up to Meia over the comm, quite pleased with himself despite her making the last kill. His boasts and taunts never left his mouth however, seeing that she was in no mood for fun and jokes. She wasn't crying or whimpering, just looking away from the screen, and yet somehow it unsettled him all the same. Hadn't they just won the battle, still alive at the end of another skirmish? What could possibly be wrong? The awkward silence grew longer and longer as Hibiki wondered, Meia waiting for him to speak and Hibiki now too thrown off to talk.

"Thank you." Meia finally stated, ending the lapse, and then following up. "What are you doing out here?" Her voice like her look was distant, Hibiki frowning, Meia not acting like herself at all. "It wasn't any big deal or anything, I saw you leave, and then the others forced me to come out here and get you." Hibiki said with a generous twisting of the truth, tucking his arms behind his head. Meia accepted this without emotion. "Very well, then we had better be getting back." She announced, still in the same voice, abruptly cutting off the connection, Dread spinning around and heading back towards the Nirvana. Blinking stupidly Hibiki stared at the screen which had just moments ago displayed Meia's face, not sure whether to be concerned or insulted. Deciding to go with both he once more fired up the boosters on his Vanguard, pushing himself in front of Meia.

"Look, I can't believe I'm asking a woman this, but what is wrong with you?" Hibiki ranted, once again reaching her over the comms. "Lately you've been acting like an even bigger jerk than usual, going off on your own, cutting me off like that. What's gotten into you?" He had begun shouting towards the end, and wasn't even really expecting a reaction, but his words seemed to catch Meia off guard. And as she hung her head, face blank, Hibiki remembered where he had seen that expression before, right when they had failed to stop the dreadnought ramming into the Nirvana. Was that really the problem, was all this just her way of trying to make things right?

Aware that he really didn't have time to be messing around Hibiki crossed his arms, thinking hard. "Okay, let's try this again." He said, moving his hands as if to clear the air. "Before, yeah we got beaten badly, and some people got hurt because of that. But none of that matters now, because an entire ship full of people are depending on you, and going around making amends isn't going to help anyone now that the Nirvana is under attack." He couldn't help but notice how Meia's eyes widened as he said that last part, realisation beginning to settle in. "Answer me one question. No matter how many times you fall, no matter how many times you fail, is any of it going to keep you from trying? Or are you just going to stand aside and feel guilty." Stopping there Hibiki leaned back, both satisfied and surprised that he managed to throw that together, awaiting her response.

After several long moments of silence, words came to Meia. "The Nirvana is really under attack?" She asked voice already stronger, the look from before gone. "Yeah." Hibiki said evenly, unsure where this was leading, but before he could say more Meia was jetting away, heading for the battle, for the Nirvana. "That's more like it." He said with a grin, quickly after her. Catching up the two sped alongside one another, and then after several moments they merged, Vanguard and Dread combining in a flash of light. And it was here that Hibiki realised something, something he hadn't noticed over the display.

"You're...you're not wearing any clothing!" Hibiki blurted out, feeling the softness of her skin against his back, face going red as he turned around, what was left of her suit leaving little to the imagination. She met his gaze without flinching. "Does it bother you?" She said bluntly, and Hibiki in his confusion could only stammer out a weak. "Not at all!" Before facing forward, face even redder than before. What was a man supposed to do in situations like these?

* * *

"What is a woman to do in a situation like this?" Jura yelled into her display as she dodged, crimson Dread going left and right as she tried to avoid the fire from the enemy behind her. She knew her face would just be one of many on the bridge of Nirvana; Bart yelping with each hit the ship took, Parfait giving updates from engineering, but frankly she was beyond caring. If the battle before had been anarchy, this one was attrition, Nirvana backing up while the two pale dreadnoughts pursued, cube-types clashing with the Dread teams in between, the distance between the white spirals and their target already reduced to just a few miles. Explosions and craft going off in all directions everything was a brilliant display of coloured metal and light, red, blue, yellow and many more colours dancing before the eyes of those who watched.

"Jura, we're picking up signals below you, pull the team together." BC ordered; face appearing on the display. Looking down nervously Jura saw that the commander was right, shouting at the two pilots in front of her to scatter as four cube-types erupted from beneath them in perfect synchronicity. Launching a barrage of missiles she too scattered, only catching one of the enemy, not having had time to lock on. The remaining three fighters followed her, lances of light flashing against her craft as she looped around both enemies and allies, doing everything she could to throw them off. She had almost succeeded too when she looked straight ahead, another cube-type barrelling towards her. Panicking Jura opened up with her cannons, but managed to do little more than graze the target, closing her eyes as she braced for impact. But nothing happened, and reopening her eyes she watched what remained of her foe cartwheel into the distance.

"You gotta watch out, Jura." A voice called over the comms, a pink and rosette themed Dread appearing from above. "Barnette!" Jura said delightfully as she saw the face of her rescuer on the screen, only for her gaze to harden as she returned the favour, blasting an enemy which had been attempting to attack her friend from behind. Barnette took a second to realise what had happened, craning her neck to look and returned a smile when she saw that Jura had saved her. "Come on, time for another reload." She stated, nodding towards Miss Gascogne's supply craft, which was making its second run for the battle, missiles forcing back anything which got to close. Ordering the rest of the team into their places Barnette, Jura and several others latched onto the bottom, the many arms of the ship replacing their armaments and topping off their ammo. The rest circled in a rising and falling pattern, working in conjunction with Miss Gascogne to keep the enemy back, switching positions with the others as they finished.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Jura asked herself angrily as she covered the supply craft, thoroughly annoyed with Meia. This was the second time she had been forced to manage the Dread teams, and it was not one bit easier than before. Sighing loudly she counted how many Dreads were still intact, biting her lip as she saw three were missing from the toll, five if you counted the ones from the earlier battle. The remainder of the team now rearmed they clustered around her, Jura realised with a start that they were waiting for new orders. Her mind a blank she stared at her high heeled shoes, hesitating, unsure, only for Barnette's voice to bring her out of it.

"You can do it, Jura." Her friend's voice spoke over the comms, and just like that Jura realised that she over thinking all this. She was good pilot was she not? She was beautiful and smart was she not? The idea that these cheap machines could even try to match a woman of her calibre was laughable, just let them try. "Okay ladies listen up!" She commanded, bringing her head up, casting an appreciative glance to Barnette in particular. "We've been out here stalling long enough, and I say it's time we go on the offensive." A mixture of confusion and agreement greeted her little speech, her words directly opposing the ones BC had given them earlier. But Jura was having none of that. "Follow me!" She commanded, tearing straight towards the dreadnoughts, pounding several cube-types to dust as they tried to stop her blazing red craft. With a curse Barnette followed, backing her up, the rest not far behind.

Laughing wildly, feeling like she was unstoppable Jura drove again and again into the enemy horde. In moments she was before the pale spirals, and targeting the one on the left opened up with everything she had, watching in satisfaction as spines fell from its hull in great clusters. Unfortunately while the unexpectedness of the move had allowed success up until then, their foes were quick to counterattack, the enemy coming at them from all sides. "Jura look out!" Barnette warned for the second time this battle, Jura trying to avoid the blow and failing, cube-type slashing her Dread across the side, smoke and sparks flying. "Break off!" Barnette yelled the damaged craft spinning wildly, Jura having trouble controlling it. Trying to fight through to her, a moment later Barnette too was struck badly, knocked unconscious as she slammed against her controls. And as Jura saw all this something inside her snapped.

"No one hurts my Barnette!" She roared, unleashing more missiles and cannon fire, vengeance quickly claiming several foes. Swarming more fighters raked her in retaliation, and just like that the controls were dead, Jura screaming wildly as her Dread streaked straight towards the foremost dreadnought, unable to change course. And just as she tucked her head between her legs, tears in her eyes, everything stopped.

"We can't leave you guys alone for a moment can we?" Hibiki said from the cockpit of the Vandread, Meia behind him, Jura's craft held safely in its clutches.

* * *

"Oh...how nice." Jura murmured slowly over the comm before finally fainting, it all being too much for her. Rolling his eyes as he closed down screen, Hibiki instructed the Vandread to extend its other claw, snatching up Barnette's Dread. Now a wrecked craft in each claw, both of their pilots unconscious Meia and Hibiki found themselves surrounded by machines and the need to get the others to safety. Glancing at the quickly advancing dreadnoughts, suddenly Hibiki got an idea, noting the damage Jura had earlier inflicted on its front. "I found our exit." He said with a smirk, and before Meia could say yes or no they were tearing towards the spiral, fighters attempting to intercept. But they were too slow, and moving at great speed and still carrying the two crippled Dreads the craft ploughed through the dreadnought's damaged hull.

What ensued was a crazed, dark and desperate run through vessel's guts, exploding machinery and drones the only source of illumination. Barely avoiding a dozen fatal collisions suddenly Meia and Hibiki burst free, the few short seconds inside seeming like a lifetime. Behind them explosions blossomed along the ridges of the dreadnought, spines twitching in their death throes, cube-types temporarily in disarray. Moving towards the Nirvana the Vandread tossed the red and pink Dreads to safety, turning back to meet its foes once more. Hibiki couldn't believe how fast they moved as they cleaved the first fighter in two, not even aware their Vandread was capable of such speed, everything around them seeming to move in slow motion. Diving and slashing, the biggest challenge proved to be keeping up with their own movements, swift and quick as lightning.

Ripping up a cube-type before hurling its remains into another, Hibiki and Meia turned just in time to be rammed by an entire enemy squadron. Machines crawling all over them, the Vandread grappling with four or five cube-types at any one time, more jumping on each time another was thrown off. Vision filled with their foes, both pilots could only focus on one thing, surviving. Finally managing to push free after several frenzied moments Hibiki brought them around and together with Meia was able to finally pick up some speed and rush them, oil and fresh scratches tainting their claws as they massacred them. Rising from the wreckage, the battle still raged, yet something was wrong, the conflict missing the chaotic fury of before, and there were now far too few of the enemy occupying the space that had once been full of them. What was going on?

Meia was the first to spot it, dreadnought high above them, cube-types swarming around it like flies over carrion. Climbing all over its pale hull, Hibiki could only stare as the machines impaled themselves upon its spines in great numbers, latching on, merging with the vessel. Patches of black trickled across the bleached white of the ship until it gleamed midnight, and its spines once long and straight, curled in on themselves, becoming something akin to hook like barbs. Finally the spiral seemed to constrict on itself, becoming longer and thinner, and hundreds of cube-types having disappeared into the vessel it was done. Floating there, seeming to move even faster towards the Nirvana, Hibiki suddenly began to laugh, Meia looking at him as if he were mad. "This'll be even easier now." He said with a grin, noting the bare handful of machines left, the dreadnought now open to attack. But they would have to be swift, time running out, a countdown appearing on their screen courtesy of BC, ticking down to the estimated time of impact. 100 seconds.

Unfortunately things were not going to be easy, no matter what Hibiki said, each hook of the enemy vessel rising to reveal the strings of guns hidden beneath, the Vandread soaring straight into a cannon barrage of unmatched number. Explosions wracking them, looking and feeling like they were in the middle of a fireworks display Meia and Hibiki reacted as best they could, dodging left and right as they attempted to pull back out of range. The Dread teams fared no better still fending off the remaining enemy harassers and unable to pierce the dreadnought's defences in any meaningful way. "Break off, fall back!" Meia finally had to order, watching them get beaten one after another, several offering up protests, Dita particularly enthusiastic. But even she couldn't hold up to both Meia and BC for long, pulling back like the others. 79 seconds.

"Okay, I think I got it." Hibiki said with confidence eyeing the enemy vessel, everything coming down to them. Again they came at it, and again the guns spoke, this time both pilots ready for them, moving left, right, up and down in an erratic pattern to avoid them. Spinning tightly to avoid the lances of light the Vandread got close enough to latch onto the dreadnought with its powerful claws, crushing two of the hooked spines beneath its feet. Easily able to hop and shimmy between the cannons field of fire Meia and Hibiki tore into the black metal with abandon. The vessel shifting and spinning beneath them, the pair could only look up as the Nirvana came into view, the dark spiral positioning itself above the target, preparing to strike exactly where its predecessor had, side still ripped wide open from before. 46 seconds.

"This is taking too long." Meia said grimly as they ripped up another spine, only for a cube-type to come in low and fast, punching them off the dreadnought and back into space. Cannons opening up Hibiki was once more forced to pull back, him destroying the offending enemy fighter with an almost vindictive head butt. Behind them the dreadnought was closing the final stretch miles replaced by metres, countdown now below 30 seconds, both pilots reduced to bystanders. "Damn it, we're too late." Hibiki growled letting go, only for Meia to shove him back onto the controls, the ironic reversal of their positions not lost on Hibiki as he rubbed his head.

Roaring along the dreadnought's side, guns firing everywhere Meia and Hibiki flung themselves before the Nirvana staring down the looming enemy vessel. 18 seconds, 17 seconds, 16 seconds, the countdown continued as ever, Vandread waiting. "It's down to us." Hibiki finally spoke up breaking the silence, turning to face Meia, only to catch her reflection in the glass of the cockpit remembering there was a reason he hadn't done that yet. Meia seemed to pause before saying simply. "Us is all we need." Seemingly talking as much to herself as to Hibiki. And with their brown and green eyes alight, jaws set, together they pushed forward on the controls Vandread not so much moving as teleporting, there one moment and slamming into the dreadnought the next.

Everywhere people watched as the two ships clashed, the dark spiral shuddering as the Vandread pressed against it, boosters going into overdrive, the two firmly in deadlock. Claws pressed against it the Vandread shook, bursts of electricity flashing across the cockpit, the seats of both pilots getting uncomfortably hot as the craft was pushed to the limit. But it wasn't enough, enemy refusing to yield, countdown slowly resuming as Meia and Hibiki were pushed back. Determined, unwilling to give up the pair never stopped pressing the Vandread forward, fully aware that continuing may well lead to the destruction of the craft and themselves. And as that same urge to fight coursed through their minds, to keep trying no matter what, the craft burst into light around them.

Slowly the shaking stopped; seats suddenly cool beneath them, Meia and Hibiki having to cover their eyes as the Vandread shone. The craft resonated with their strength light surging along the consoles and through the metal, pulsing in time with their own heartbeats. There was no transformation, no new weapon, just determination to succeed and inexhaustible strength, the dreadnought grinding to a halt, and then ever so slowly reverse. And then just like that it ended, the front of the enemy vessel shattering, Vandread slicing straight through it and punching into the dark spirals innards, disappearing under a roaring explosion, silhouette visible for but a moment, before a second explosion took even that.

A chain of blasts consuming the dreadnought in a storm of fire and smoke it took several long moments for everything to clear, nothing left but searing hot scrap and wreckage. Realising their victory cheers filled the comms, those in the Dreads and on the bridge celebrating another battle won, searching the space for Meia and Hibiki. Yet as the seconds slowly advanced towards minutes, eyes and radar unable to pick up the Vandread, the cheering and grins turned to worry and concern, wondering what could be taking the pair so long. Slowly it began to dawn on them that maybe they weren't coming back, that Meia and Hibiki had been incinerated along with all the rest, reduced to nothing. "Mr...Alien?" Dita said softly in her Dread, a tear leaking out of the corner of her eye. "They, they couldn't have..." BC denounced from the bridge, Magno looking as if she had aged ten years behind her. And then, just as everyone was about to give up, a single tone began to emit from the radars, small and insignificant, yet drawing the attention of everyone who heard it. And in the distance, hidden behind a piece of debris, was the Vandread, battered and scorched but intact.

Inside the craft barely conscious was Hibiki, face planted on the controls, sweating and panting as though he had run a mile. Behind him Meia wasn't much better, only just able to hold herself up, chest rising with each shallow breath, both of them drained from that final push. "Have you got any clothes on yet?" Hibiki finally managed to ask, still dazed and more than a little out of it. Meia nodded, only realizing several moments later than he had his back to her. "No. She eventually replied, not really caring, Hibiki seeming to accept that. "As long as you're not moping around anymore." He said with a smile, slowly pulling himself up, trying to salvage some of his male pride, only to lose his balance and fall directly into Meia's naked lap. It was hard to tell who was more shocked, staring at one another faces going red. And then someone opened a connection, Dita appearing on the Vandread's display...

The screams of all three could be heard for miles.


End file.
